


Should I stay or should I go?

by Not_Your_Average_Username



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Help, Human!Bill, I took some liberties with Tyrone, M/M, Oohlala we got some kissin boys up in here, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, The other twins are mentioned in passing, grown up Dipper, holla, im billdip trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 15:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8997229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_Your_Average_Username/pseuds/Not_Your_Average_Username
Summary: In a universe where people gain a soulmate mark at the age of 13, Dipper Pines, not wanting to be controlled by fate goes to get his covered up.





	

       Dipper Pines, age 21, walks down the busy street searching for a particular tattoo shop. Today was the day. Despite his sister’s consistent assertions that he was making a mistake, he was on his way to Cipher’s Ink. He’d heard it was a reputable business, owned by someone of the name Bill Cipher.

       Dipper had always tended to research a little too much for even the simplest of things. And yet, this was no simple task. Sure, it wouldn’t be hard, or that time-consuming relatively. But mentally, it was a daunting task indeed. Today was the day he was covering his soulmark. It was a little, yellow triangle at the base of his neck. He was going to the tattoo parlor to cover it up.

       Dipper didn’t believe in fate. Dipper rooted himself in facts. Science was his religion. And no silly little mark was going to dictate his future. He didn’t want Destiny or Fate or God himself meddling with his love life.

       His twin sister, Mabel, was quite the opposite. Ever since their 13th birthday she showed anyone and everyone her soulmark in the hopes that she may find The One. She had a tiny, purple lion behind her left shoulder. After their birthday, she had taken to sewing flaps into her dozens of sweaters to showcase her little lion.

       Looking back, there was once a time that Dipper believed the world to be a magical place, full of wonder and love and hope. And then Tyrone died. Dipper and Mabel lost a brother and their parents lost a son. Dipper became cynical, seeing only the bad in life, while Mabel forced herself to see the good in everything. Tyrone died when they were 12 years old. Their parents were never really the same. They tried to show all the love they had to Dipper and Mabel but the hole in their hearts was obvious.

       Dipper knew that despite Mabel’s insistence that he keep the mark, just in case he changes his mind, she supported him through everything and loved him.

       Snapping out of his reverie, Dipper found himself in front of Cipher’s Ink. He walked inside, a bell chimed to signify his arrival.

       A tall man with blond hair that flopped over an eye with the sides shaved and black walked out from around the corner, wiping his hands on a cloth. Dipper recognized him as Bill Cipher. “How can I help you? Looking for a tat? Maybe a boyfriend?” Bill winks and Dipper’s face flushes with heat.

       “I-I’m looking to cover a soulmark?” As he answers, he absentmindedly raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, right where the soulmark was.

       Bill smiles easily. “May I see it? Then we can discuss the price and the time it’ll take. And while we’re at it. What’s your name kiddo?” Bill begins to slink around the counter, his long legs graceful. As he rounded the corner, Dipper got a good look at his outfit. He wore black skinny jeans with several tears (Dipper couldn’t figure out if they were real or not) and a white button up with a yellow vest. The vest was left unbuttoned and swinging and the sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to his elbows. There were tattoos lacing his forearms and Dipper blushed again.

       “U-uh yea, sure. And it’s Dipper” _Kid? Surely he was only a little older than me?_ Dipper turned around and pulled his own shirt down a little to allow Bill to see it in its entirety.

~~~~~~~~~~

       Bill froze. There, on the back of Dipper’s neck was the little, yellow triangle he had looked at every day. Except this time, the soulmark wasn’t on his left collarbone. It was on this kid’s neck. And he was here to cover it. Cover their mark.

       Bill usually prided himself in his ability to maintain his composure but he was at a loss. He had found his soulmate. In a world where most only dream of meeting their significant other, his was standing in front of him and he was so _cute._ His was adorable and had great hair and wanted to cover his soulmark in his tattoo parlor. _Oh my god. This is happening. What do I do? Do I say something? Ok, Cipher. Calm down. Just roll with it._

_~~~~~~~~~~_

       Dipper, confused at what was taking so long turned his head to look over his shoulder, beginning to ask if everything was ok when cold slender fingers ghosted upon his skin. He felt the hair on his neck rise as Bill gently ran his fingers over the patch of skin with the soulmark. Dipper shuddered involuntarily and this seemed to shake Bill out of his stupor. The fingers were swiftly removed and Bill coughed awkwardly. Dipper shrugged his shoulders and popped his shirt back into place. He turned around to see Bill looking just as suave as before.

       “Shouldn’t take too long. If it’s no problem, I can do it right now. It’s a slow day so I can fit you in fairly easily. It’ll cost around $80 if you’re wanting something fairly nice to cover it. Any idea on what you might like?”         

       Dipper smiles fondly. “I was thinking a pine tree, a shooting star, and a four leaf clover in the middle.”

       Dipper remembered back to when they all gained their nicknames. Mabel had been wearing her shooting star sweater, Dipper had a pine tree hat on, and Tyrone had a four leaf clover. They were on their hands and knees searching for at least 20 minutes, which was a long time to a couple of 6 year olds. Their mother and father beamed when Tyrone had showed them his clover. “Look at our little angels,” they said. Their father whispered something to their mother and she giggled. “Okay,” she said, “You take the boys and I’ll take Mabel.

       Dipper had been confused and he looked to his siblings for help. Their father pointed to Dipper. “You’ll be…. Hmm. How about Pine Tree? That’s a pine tree, right honey?” She laughed and nodded.

       She pointed to Mabel and said, “Okay. You, are going to be Shooting Star. Because of your sweet little sweater.” Mabel giggled as their mother poked her belly.

       Finally, their father pointed to Tyrone. “Honey, he doesn’t have any easy shapes on him.”

       “Use your imagination!” she urged

       “Uh. Oh! Your favorite color is green and you brought the clover so we’ll call you Clover.” Their father beamed in pride at his clever line of thinking while their mother snickered.

       “Ok kiddos. These are your official nicknames!” Then they had held an official ceremony where they had been dubbed their respective nicknames. Odd as it may seem, they kept those nicknames for the rest of their lives. When they held secret missions over walkie talkies, they used their code names. Which were just the nicknames they were given that day. Dipper smiled warmly at the memories before realizing Bill was still there.

~~~~~~~~~~

       Bill smiled. _Damn. The kid was cute even when lost in thought._

       Dipper began to stammer out an excuse when Bill held up his hand. “Listen. It’s fine. We all got baggage and maybe it helps you to carry that baggage with you on your neck. It’s none of my business. I just stick the needle in.” Bill chuckled at his own joke.

       “Shall we?” he said, as he motioned to one of the chairs near the back of the parlor. Bill leads the way to the back of the parlor and shows Dipper to a chair. He sits and stares at Bill. Bill’s composure wavers. He almost breaks. He almost rips his own shirt open and showed his mark. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. Didn’t he know better than anyone that just because you’re soulmates with someone doesn’t mean that both people want it? Hell, first it was his mother leaving his father, her soulmate, for someone else. His mother broke his family. She said she loved him, that she loved his father. If that was true, then why did she leave? Soulmates were supposed to be certainties. They were supposed to be forever. And yet here he was, motherless, and completely understanding as to why someone would want to forget about soulmates altogether.

       Bill says he’ll be back in 5ish minutes to go sketch the tattoo. As he’s sketching he begins to think about what would happen if he did tell Dipper. Maybe they would begin to date, start with the coffee shop down the street. Eventually, they’d move in together. Then maybe, they’d move to the suburbs and get a dog and Bill can be a little homebody. Ha! Yea right. No good would come of telling Dipper. He was here to leave this silly world of soulmates, if only for himself. And Bill respected that.

       About 5 minutes later, he comes back to see Dipper relaxing in the chair. Bill holds up the sketch and Dipper smiles again. Bill’s heart melts a little more. “Yeah,” Dipper said, “It’s perfect.”

       He composes himself and waits for Dipper to take off his shirt. Surely the kid doesn’t expect him to give him a tat with that collar in the way?

       Bill motions for Dipper to take off his shirt. Dipper immediately turns bright red and begins to undo the buttons. He slips the sleeves off his arms and his toned torso greets Bill. Bill stares a little longer than he should but damn! The kid looks fine as hell!

       Dipper situated himself and Bill began to walk him through their process for sterilization, as per the law, and asked if he was sure there weren’t any last minute changes he would like to make. He thought for a second and said, “Actually yea. Can you put a ‘D’ under the tree, an ‘M’ under the star, and a ‘T’ under the clover? And ‘August 31, 1999.” Bill nodded and pulled on his latex gloves.

       As Bill tattooed Dipper, they began to talk. Not much, since Bill had to focus, but enough to get a little information out of each other. Like each other’s favorite restaurant, they both favored Greasy’s Diner, a quaint little restaurant that had fantastic waffles. Or what each other’s favorite colors were. Bill’s was yellow and Dipper’s was blue.

       Dipper winced in pain occasionally but took the tattoo better than a lot of his other first- timers. This kid was full of surprises. Bill almost didn’t want to finish the tattoo. Sure, his work would look great, he was Bill Cipher after all, but that would mean their little relationship would be over. Any reason for Dipper to see Bill again would disappear, unless he wanted some more ink. Regardless, he wasn’t ready to let go of his soulmate just yet. This was his chance. His head told him no, to remember what happened with his parents and let it go, but his heart was yearning for a chance to get to know him better. He was cute and hot as hell and smart and Bill was fighting for what to do.

       Once Dipper had finished, Bill walked him through steps to take care of it afterward. Dipper paid and was making his way out as Bill stared longingly when he turned around and ran up to Bill. Dipper grabbed his shirt with his left hand and pulled him down into a kiss. Bill, lost, stood in shock for a moment before sinking in and taking control. He began to kiss harder. He gently bit Dipper’s bottom lip causing him to gasp. Bill took this moment to shove his tongue into Dipper’s mouth, expertly weaving and twirling.

       They broke away panting. Dipper, still holding Bill’s shirt let go. Dipper gave a lopsided grin that seemed contagious. He said, “So uh, do you think I can have your number?”

       Bill laughed and doubled over. As he laughed, Dipper noticed that a button popped loose from their makeout session and saw the top of a tattoo that seemed different from the rest. Dipper grabbed the shirt once more and pulled gently to see the rest of the tattoo and he saw a little, yellow triangle, identical to the one he just had covered. Bill, covering the mark too late, panicked and looked wide-eyed at Dipper, all laughter gone. Dipper backed away and burst through the doors; running off into the crowded street.

~~~~~~~~~~

       As Dipper paid, he felt a little sad. He had enjoyed his time with Bill. He turned to go, waving goodbye to Bill. He was halfway through the door when he turned around. Bill was staring sadly at his retreating figure. Dipper, not thinking, ran up to Bill and grabbed his shirt to pull him down to his level. He kissed Bill, terrified of being rejected but wanting, no, needing to kiss him, to try. After what seemed like much too long, Bill began to kiss back, quickly becoming the dominant one. Dipper felt Bill bite his lip and he gasped in surprise allowing Bill to insert his tongue. Dipper broke away soon after to breathe, both of them left panting. Dipper let go of Bill’s shirt and his hands dropped to his sides.

       Dipper grinned up at Bill and Bill’s smile immediately grew. Dipper began wringing his hands. “So uh, do you think I can have your number?”

       Bill began to laugh and for a second Dipper was scared that he was saying no but Bill nodded as he laughed, clutching his side. His jovial state brought attention to the button that had popped loose during their kissing. Dipper thought he say something familiar. The tip of a tattoo peeking out above the shirt. Dipper grabbed the shirt once more and pulled and saw the very same soulmark he had just covered up. Bill noticed what Dipper was doing too late. He tried to cover the mark but it was too late. Dipper had seen.

       Bill began opening and closing his mouth as if to say something but no words were coming. Bill’s eyes were wide like a deer in headlights. Dipper felt a pang of hurt stab through his chest. Tears beginning to fill his eyes he turned and ran. He ran down the street and past pedestrians and ran until he couldn’t run anymore. So he stopped running. He stopped and let himself cry.

_Why am I crying? This is stupid. What happened to not letting Fate control me? Ha. I bet Fate thinks this is hilarious. Why him? Why does it hurt so much? It’s not like he did anything wrong. Except not tell me we’re soulmates. Oh, Mabel. I need your sage wisdom right now._

       “Dipper! Dipper! Dipper, I’m sorry! Dipper please come here.” Bill’s voice floated over the square to the little corner he’d found in between some stores.

       Bill watched Dipper run and stood in shock and horror. He stood and watched as his soulmate, his other half, ran away from him. It only took a second more for Bill to chase Dipper out and find him, explain himself. The crowded street took him in and shielded him. Panicked, he began calling for him. “Dipper! Dipper, please! Dipper! Dipper! Dipper, I’m sorry! Dipper please come here.” And there he was. Curled against a wall and crying. Bill felt a stab of guilt knowing he caused those tears, at least partially. Bill fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Dipper.

       Bill barely heard Dipper whisper, “I don’t even know why I’m crying” Bill rubbed circles into Dipper’s back.

       “Listen Dipper,” Bill began. “The reason I didn’t tell you was because I get the whole ‘soulmates suck’ attitude. My mother and father were soulmates. And when I was 5 years old, my mother left my father for someone else. She told me that she still lived me but she had to leave. I was so confused. My parents were soulmates. So why wasn’t my mom there at my school play? Or when I graduated college? Where was she? Surely the soulmate thing was a scam. So I closed myself off.”

       “But when you walked in today, I don’t know, you were cute and then I found out you were my soulmate and I panicked. You were in there to get yours covered so no one could tie themselves to you that way. Who was I do ruin that? Surely you had a similar experience to want to ignore the soulmate game. So I hid it. And honestly? You’re one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. So please Dipper. Please don’t shut me out. We can pretend the mark isn’t there. I just. I really want to date you Dipper Pines.”

       Dipper lifted his head out from between his knees. He looked into Bill’s eyes and gave a weak smile. Bill beamed, “There you go, Dippin’ Dots.”

       Dipper laughed. “My sister calls me that too. You’d like her.”

       Dipper embraces Bill and they sat there, in the corner of a crowded plaza, both on their knees, hugging. Surely they were a sight but they couldn’t care less. They were together. They would try to help each other overcome their troubled past and learn to love again. Bill Cipher and Dipper Pines, brought together by the wise hands of Fate.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my little oneshot soulmate idea. Please leave a comment or a kudos. Or maybe both if you're feeling crazy ;)


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